This week’s stories captured the protein sector at a moment where long-term vision, capital discipline, and technical delivery briefly converged, even as external pressures continued to mount.

We begin with a forward-looking view on how meat could be remade over the coming decades. A keynote perspective ahead of The Future of Protein Production Chicago on 24/25 February reframed alternative proteins not as a niche solution, but as part of a broader agricultural shift that will demand patience, credibility, and scale.

From vision to finance, attention then moved to capital. A candid assessment from the banking side sharpened focus on what funders now expect, and why realism around timelines and returns is becoming non-negotiable.

The focus then turned to infrastructure. Strategic moves in plant-based beverages, hybrid food research, and processing technologies underscored steady progress beneath the headlines.

Elsewhere, policy and climate added context. New regulatory decisions and land-use projections highlighted the constraints shaping protein’s next phase.

As ever, the mix tells a more nuanced story than any single headline.

Enjoy reading, and as always, let us know which developments you think will have the biggest impact next.

🎤 Bruce Friedrich outlines how alternative proteins fit into the next agricultural revolution ahead of FPP/CMS Chicago 2026

🏦 A banker’s perspective offers a reality check on funding expectations and why capital discipline will matter in Chicago

🥤 Refresco moves deeper into plant-based beverages with a US$1.1 billion deal for SunOpta

🧪 Dutch researchers launch a hybrid food program bringing milk and plant proteins together

🌍 New analysis suggests climate change could cut global grazing land for cattle, sheep, and goats by up to half by 2100

⚙️ Pall Corporation highlights ceramic membranes as a route to cleaner, smarter protein processing

🎨 The FDA clears beetroot red and expands spirulina use as natural food dyes gain ground

📈 Protein Signals January report clarified where alternative protein is headed

🍄 University of Borås research puts mycoproteins’ nutrition under the microscope

🔧 Synonym rebrands as Roebling to expand its industrial infrastructure planning platform

We’re back early this year – and this time we’re heading to the USA. The Future of Protein Production Chicago, co-located with the Cultured Meat Symposium, will take place 24-25 February 2026 and is set to bring together 500 attendees, 100 speakers, and +40 exhibitors. Expect two days packed with insights across cultivated meat, fermentation, plant-based innovation, and scale-up solutions – plus unbeatable networking with industry leaders, investors, and innovators. Book your tickets today to secure the best rate.

Then in the autumn, we return to Europe for The Future of Protein Production Amsterdam, taking place 4-5 November 2026. This flagship event will welcome 1,000 attendees, 100 speakers, and +60 exhibitors, all gathering under one roof to explore the breakthroughs shaping the next wave of alternative protein commercialization. From technical deep dives to strategic discussions, this is where the global industry meets. Reserve your place now to lock in the lowest rate.

🧪 CDMOs Are Not a Shortcut – They’re a Strategy

If you’re scaling a fermentation or food tech company and weighing what to build in-house versus what to partner out, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss. Join us on Thursday, February 12, 2026 (4pm London / 5pm Berlin / 11am New York City) for a practical deep dive into how CDMOs actually fit into successful scale-up strategies.

As companies move beyond early development, many discover that outsourcing decisions made under time or capital pressure can shape everything that follows – from IP control and execution risk to timelines, costs, and long-term flexibility. Yet CDMOs are still often treated as a stopgap or a last resort, rather than a deliberate strategic choice.

This free-to-attend webinar, held in partnership with YD Labs, reframes that thinking. Drawing on real-world experience from across the ecosystem, the session explores what a true CDMO strategy looks like in practice – and why well-structured, trust-based partnerships often outperform transactional outsourcing models.

Whether you’re navigating early scale-up, structuring IP and governance, or planning for commercial manufacturing, this discussion will offer grounded insight into how companies can use CDMOs to accelerate progress without losing control.

Join us to learn:

🧩 What strategic CDMO partnerships really look like: Moving beyond transactional outsourcing toward collaboration models that evolve as companies scale

🔐 Protecting IP while collaborating deeply: How governance, contracts, and communication enable innovation without exposure

🏗️ Build vs partner decisions: What capabilities make sense to keep in-house, what can be externalized, and how those choices change over time

🔄 Iterative development vs clean hand-offs: Why continuous collaboration often delivers better outcomes in complex biomanufacturing

📉 Lessons from failure and success: Where CDMO relationships most commonly break down – and how experienced teams avoid repeat mistakes

🎯 Challenging outdated assumptions: Why outsourcing still carries stigma in food tech, and how modern partnership models are reshaping that view

Designed for founders, executive teams, legal and IP leads, and corporate R&D and open innovation groups, this session takes a clear-eyed look at how CDMO strategy fits into real-world scale-up – particularly in capital- and complexity-constrained environments.

If you’re thinking seriously about CDMOs, partnership strategy, or how to scale without overbuilding too early, this webinar will give you a clearer framework for making smarter, more strategic decisions.

🎙️💡 Listen to our latest episode now! In this episode of the PPTI Podcast, Annick Verween (VIB), Ali Osman, Diana Oliveira, and Harry Barraza (PfX Biotech), Amy Williams (GFI Europe), Filipa Soares (Cell4Food), and David Laubner (Sennos) discussed how systems thinking could reshape the future of nutrition. The conversation covered precision fermentation, shared standards, digital and sensor technologies, and why closer collaboration across science, regulation, and markets is essential for scalable food systems.🎙️🥩➡️🌱

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